By Rebecca Ekpe
The Municipal Chief Executive of Tema, Ebi Bright, has led a high-powered technical team on a comprehensive inspection of flood-affected communities in Tema and Tema Newtown following the recent torrential rains that inundated homes, displaced families and disrupted economic activities.
Accompanied by engineers from the Assembly, officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), planning officers, environmental health personnel and other key stakeholders, the Mayor toured some of the hardest-hit communities to assess the extent of the destruction and identify immediate and long-term interventions needed to address the perennial flooding challenge.
Ebi Bright, MCE of Tema Municipal Assembly-(in Black) accessing flood risk areas.
The team inspected choked drains, submerged roads, damaged public infrastructure and residential areas where floodwaters had entered homes, leaving residents counting their losses.
The assessment also enabled the technical experts to examine drainage systems, identify structural weaknesses, evaluate the impact on livelihoods and collect critical data that will inform future engineering and disaster risk reduction interventions.
Residents used the opportunity to share their experiences, describing how the heavy downpour swept through their communities within minutes, damaging household items, destroying merchandise and making movement nearly impossible.
Some appealed for urgent desilting of drains, stricter enforcement against illegal structures obstructing waterways and improved waste management practices to prevent refuse from blocking drainage channels.
Speaking during the tour, Ebi Bright stressed that the Assembly would not treat the latest flooding as an isolated incident but as part of a broader urban planning challenge requiring coordinated action.
“Our priority is first to understand the full extent of the damage so that every intervention we undertake is informed by evidence and responds directly to the needs of affected communities. This assessment allows us to see the challenges firsthand and to engage residents on practical solutions.”
She emphasized that protecting lives and property requires collaboration between government institutions, technical experts and residents.
“Flooding cannot be solved by one institution alone. It demands the collective efforts of engineers, disaster management experts, environmental officers, community leaders and every resident. Together, we must develop sustainable solutions that make Tema more resilient to the effects of extreme weather.”
The Mayor noted that while emergency response remains important, greater attention must be given to preventive measures through improved urban planning and maintenance of drainage infrastructure.
“We must move beyond responding after disasters occur. Our focus is to prevent these incidents by improving drainage systems, enforcing planning regulations, maintaining our waterways and investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand increasingly intense rainfall.”
She also appealed to residents to support the Assembly’s efforts by adopting responsible environmental practices.
“Government will continue to play its role, but residents also have a responsibility. We must all avoid indiscriminate disposal of waste into drains, refrain from building on waterways and support efforts aimed at keeping our communities clean and safe.”
Officials from the engineering team explained that data collected during the inspection would help determine priority areas for drainage rehabilitation, desilting operations and other engineering works aimed at reducing future flooding.
A representative from NADMO assured affected residents that the organisation would continue working with the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to assess humanitarian needs and coordinate support where necessary.
“Our immediate responsibility is to evaluate the impact on households, document damages and work with the Assembly and relevant agencies to ensure affected families receive the necessary assistance while longer-term mitigation measures are implemented.”
The inspection comes as many parts of the Greater Accra Region continue to experience heavy rainfall associated with the rainy season, exposing longstanding drainage and sanitation challenges in several urban communities.
For many residents, the visit by the Mayor and the technical team offered hope that recurring flooding issues would receive sustained attention rather than temporary responses.
The Tema Metropolitan Assembly says the findings from the assessment will guide a comprehensive response strategy aimed at improving drainage infrastructure, strengthening disaster preparedness and building safer, more climate-resilient communities across the metropolis.
